Mainely,Bob

Nice work Tim. It`s the professional touches like this that really set your work apart from others.
What made yo decide to make it in two pieces?

I don`t understand why everyone is so concerned about who originally came up with what and when. The point should be that if we stumble over something that is useful and has the potential to improve even one other person`s life we should share it.
If you go out of your way to share and repeat what has helped you and it makes it better for the group or larger community then that`s like handing someone the key to growth and progress isn`t it? Why would we want to diminish that by arguing about who invented the first lock?
I say bravo to all the Uris, Grants, Larrys , Glenns and Brians as well as everyone else who takes the time to contribute whatever knowledge, no matter how large or small, into the pool others may drink from.
Why do we continue to allow the almighty dollar sign to always cloud and change the way we look at any exchange?

Thank you Ken for taking the time to write your in depth post and remind us we`re a sharing community rather than a collection of individuals trying to climb up onto one another`s shoulders or knock others down so we personally can have the best view.

On foot pedals,if you want to use them then guard them. More than once I`ve seen someone get something crushed because they were using both hands to set something into a machine and something like a wrench or part was knocked off or tipped over and hit the pedal setting the ram in motion.
While pedals are handy the ones I favor are the "kick" (vertical)type rather than a "stomp" (horizontal) pedal. if something drops and hits a kick type it`ll most likely bounce or roll off rather than lay on it activating the machine.Gravity can either work for or against you. Every time I see those unguarded, floor level pedals on your press Randy I shudder.

A large paddle operated kill or reverse switch mounted at knee level is also a sound and flesh saving investment. As are valves that are plumbed so their "at rest" position is one that will return moving parts like the ram to a full open position.

Another thing we found helpful for both operators and observers was to get everyone to understand the idea of "line of fire". If something is going to be kicked out of a machine during a process what is the most likely direction of travel gonna be? In manufacturing we painted or otherwise marked this area clearly so someone walking into it would know they were at risk.
In the home shop this concept could be applied simply as not bolting down a press or any other machine so the most likely direction of travel is not aimed directly toward the main access door. or an auxiliary bench where another person could be working.
You`d be surprised how many people miss this simple concept. Think of the last time you went to a public demo and saw someone forge welding. Did they take into account where the flux or sparks would fly?

There are HUGE differences in everything from wall thickness of the containing cylinder to pressure rating on the seals throughout.

You also bring up a second safety issue and that is we are using these cylinders around red hot metal. When used in this type of work not just any hydraulic fluid will do,you need the type that is not highly flamable. One of the worst accidents I saw involved someone welding on a live hydraulic line on an extrusion press. The operator hit the lever to move the cylinder on the opposite side of the press where he couldn`t see the work being done. The welder heard the system kick in,broke the arc yet the weld was orange hot when the pressure hit it and it ignited like a flamethrower pushing the welder off the ladder he was standing on to do the job. He recieved 2nd and 3rd degree burns to his head,face and neck after his fiberglass hard hat welding sield melted. He was also paralyzed from the neck down after he hit the deckplates head first when he fell off the ladder.
The company drained and replaced all the hydraulic fluids ( replaced with high temp,marine grade) in their presses after that as well as implementing new and better safety procedures, like lock out/tag out, for working around equipment.
Too bad it took ruining a man`s life to make these changes.
Be safe,it may cost more in the short run but your family will be glad you did it.

Glad to see you got both the table and the help you needed. Even more glad that there were no injuries to either people or gear in the process. That`s the measure of a successful move.